These days, it's easy to get hold of all kinds of foods at an affordable price. Back in the day,
however, some of the dishes and ingredients we take for granted were enjoyed exclusively
by the rich and powerful. These are the common foods only rich people used to eat.
Salt may be a staple part of the modern diet, but in the medieval period it was much harder
to get hold of. During feasts and banquets, all the salt would be contained in a special
salt cellar and placed near the higher end of the table, where the wealthiest of the
nobles and royals ate. This practice gave rise to the expression "above the salt,"
which is used today to describe somebody of particularly high social standing.
There's a good chance you've got a tub of it in your freezer right now,
but for most of its existence, being able to enjoy ice cream was a very special privilege.
Its predecessor, which was little more than flavored snow, was acquired by the
wealthiest ancients at great difficulty — for example, the Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar
would send his servants high up into the mountains in order to retrieve it.
Even as late as the 19th century, ice cream — then called "fancy ices" — were
created painstakingly by expert cooks for the enjoyment of the aristocracy.
Before long, however, the invention of the hand-cranked freezer and other technological
advancements meant that ice cream became readily available to others. A surge in popularity after
the end of World War II then turned it into the beloved dessert we know today.
"Yes, sirree, no matter what flavor, there's nothing so lip-smacking good
as delicious Borden's ice cream."
Today, no kitchen is complete without a rack adorned with herbs, spices and seasonings.
In medieval times, however, spices were an exotic rarity afforded
only to the very privileged. This is because most of them came from Asia,
meaning that western traders had to travel vast distances to acquire them. As a result,
they were often extraordinarily expensive. In the 14th century, nutmeg was more valuable than gold,
and even aristocrats found it difficult to acquire some of the rarer and pricier spices.
The wealth that could be shifted through trading these ingredients led to the establishment
of lucrative trade routes, monopolies and, eventually, whole empires. Indeed,
it's not a stretch to say that much of history was built on the exchange and acquisition of spices.
Although what kind you'd eat — and how much you could get — varied a lot,
the consumption of meat has been pretty uniform across history. That is to say that,
generally, both rich and poor have always eaten some kind of meat in their diets.
One of the few exceptions, however, can be found in Ancient Greece, where most people
ate predominantly vegetarian food. Only the wealthy could afford a regular diet of meat.
The Romans consumed more meat than the Greeks, with the poor tending towards ham,
bacon and sausages — but certain meats, such as beef, lamb and finer cuts of pork,
were saved exclusively for those who could afford them. Wild game,
despite being relatively common today, was also considered an exotic delicacy.
For much of English history, meat was widely available to lords, peasants,
gentry and kings alike. The biggest exception, however, was venison. After the Norman Conquest
in 1066, whole tracts of land in England were granted royal status under forest law, meaning
that only the king and his chosen entourage was allowed to hunt in them. Subsequently,
the so-called "beasts of the forest," which included deer, became property of the crown.
These laws were subsequently enforced for hundreds of years,
meaning venison was only ever available to the king, whoever was lucky enough to
dine at court, certain landowners and the very bravest of poachers. Today,
venison is still more expensive than many meats — but at least you won't be hanged for eating it.
"Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system!"
"Shut up!"
"Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I'm being repressed!"
Throughout history, fruit has almost always been unobtainable by the lower classes.
In both the Roman and Egyptian eras, for example, most fruits tended to be expensive,
and were usually enjoyed by those who ranked higher on the social ladder.
Even at other times, there have been a few prized fruits which none but the richest could acquire.
In the 18th century, when global trade routes meant fruit was more easily accessible than ever,
pineapple was still seen as a rare delicacy, and a single one could cost the equivalent of $8,000
today. There are even some records of socialites renting pineapples to display them at parties,
just so they could impress their friends and family.
At some points in history, fish has been a food for all — in fact, a law was even
introduced by Elizabeth I in 1563 that forced people to eat it on certain days of the week.
This hasn't always been the case, though. For example, fish was seen
as a luxury in Ancient Greece, despite that civilization's close proximity to the sea.
In Rome, too, fresh fish was incredibly expensive because of the city's distance from the coast,
although salted and smoked fish was more common among the poor. Even just before
Elizabeth I's time, a menu for Henry VIII has demonstrated that certain types of fish,
such as salmon, haddock and trout, were exclusively eaten by the rich.
"Ah, the French Champagne has always been celebrated for its excellence."
If you're lucky, you could probably go out right now and find a decent
bottle of sparkling wine for under $10 — and thanks to the supermarket economy,
even some Champagnes can be just as cheap. However, even sparkling wine's relative
prestige today does little justice to the esteem in which it was once held.
"Action, please."
"Ahhhhh, the French Champagne has always been celebrated for its... excellence."
Champagne, of course, was the most prestigious of all.
After its creation by Dom Perignon in the 17th century, it became the favored drink of
the French monarchy, being served at coronations and eventually becoming fashionable among other
European aristocrats. During the early 20th century, however, consumption of Champagne
spread beyond the nobility, and, after 1945, it began to reach other social circles.
Imitators soon appeared, and now sparkling wine is as commonplace
outside the aristocracy as any other wine — even if it's still a little more expensive.
"Action please, Orson."
"Just do anything?"
"No, it's — sorry, cut."
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